A big disappointment! - 50%

The years around 1988 were definitely a truly bad period for Megadeth. It was a time of intense uncertainty and instability. Dave Mustaine was subjected to his mistress of white death, surrendered to the grasp of his spiritual wreckage. He seemed to asphyxiate in the arms of his genius so sinful and reckless. To say it in simple words, he was up to his neck into drug use. Therefore, it’s not strange that the main element of this album seems to be confusion. Everything they managed to create so far is on the verge of collapsing.

Poland and Samuelson are out of the band and newcomers Young and Behler have taken their place. It was an unlucky move especially now that the band had began to look so steady and firm. At some parts these two new members seem to be completely out of space and are inferior to their predecessors. Mustaine, no matter how much heroin he has used or how much alcohol he has consumed, he still seems as the penis that masturbates. There are though difficulties, in making the sperm find the target. He has some ideas but they are so dry and colorless. As a result, the songs are clearly minor to those of Peace Sells… balancing between good intention and undoable realization.

All these might sound like poetic but they only state that things are really bad. Megadeth have not sold their ideals and beliefs. They don’t claim that they never were a heavy metal band neither do they play pop music to climb the charts, no. So Far, So Good… is by all means a metal album. It has got heavy guitars and drums and some fast tempos familiar of their style. Bun nothing really sticks to your mind. From all the solos of the album there is not even one that got me with my pants down. There is an obvious lack of inspiration and you may believe that they did this album only because they had to. Let’s put a riff here, a chorus there and a simple solo just to get the work done and go home. Even Dave Ellefson who has always been a serious musician has been drifted by the tide.

There are a few songs that I like very much such as Set The World Afire or Hook in Mouth which are classic Megadeth compositions. They have sharp guitars and catchy riffs and some nice breaks that make them quite interesting and pleasant to hear. They possess this certain feeling and attitude I’m looking for in a Megadeth song and they manage to stand above average. No, in fact they are pretty damn good. But that’s not enough to save the day when they are surrounded by mediocre, dull compositions like 502, Liar or the awful, unacceptable for the band, Mary Jane crap. Yes, I said it before, they are heavy songs that come from a metal band but how can you compare them with the killers they delivered in the previous release and not be disappointed? Well, I was anyway! As for Anarchy In The U.K., the cover they chose this time, I don’t disagree totally since they took a punk song and passed it through a metal filter, turning it for the better.

Maybe I am being kind of strict with this album but it is Megadeth we are talking about, not a common heavy metal band that could get a credit for trying to do something good. When you listen to a Megadeth release you expect metal blasters, dynamic songs that blast you away and not fillers with some good stuff here and there. I’m sorry to say it but this is not what I would suggest for you to buy unless you are a die-hard fan of them and everything they do look like masterpieces to you. Mustaine and co. fell many steps behind with this atrocity.